1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image-forming method utilizing a light-sensitive material comprising a light-sensitive layer containing silver halide, a reducing agent and a polymerizable compound provided on a support.
2. Description of Prior Arts
Japanese Patent Publication Nos. 45(1970)-11149 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 3,697,275), 47(1972)-20741 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 3,687,667) and 49(1974)-10697, and Japanese Patent Provisional Publication Nos. 57(1982)-138632, 57(1982)-142638, 57(1982)-176033, 57(1982)-211146 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,997), 58(1983)-107529 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,637), 58(1983)-121031 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,547,450) and 58(1983)-169143 describe image-forming methods utilizing light-sensitive materials comprising a light-sensitive layer containing silver halide, a reducing agent and a polymerizable compound provided on a support. In these image forming methods, when the exposed silver halide is developed using a developing solution, the polymerizable compound is induced to polymerize in the presence of a reducing agent (which is oxidized) to form a polymer image. Thus, these methods need a wet development process employing a developing solution. Therefore, the process takes a relatively long time for the operation.
An improved image forming method employing a dry process is described in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication Nos. 61(1986)-69062 and 61(1986)-73145 (the contents of both publications are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,676 and European Patent Provisional Publication No. 0174634A2). In this image forming method, a recording material (i.e., light-sensitive material) comprising a light-sensitive layer containing a light-sensitive silver salt (i.e., silver halide), a reducing agent, a cross-linkable compound (i.e., polymerizable compound) and a binder provided on a support is imagewise exposed to form a latent image, and then the material is heated to polymerize within the area where the latent image of the silver halide has been formed. The above method employing the dry process and the light-sensitive material employable for such method are also described in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication Nos. 61(1986)-183640, 61(1986)-188535 and 61(1986)-228441 (the content of the three publications are shown in U.S. Pat. Ser. No. 827,702).
The above-mentioned image forming methods are based on the principle in which the polymerizable compound is polymerized within the area where a latent image of the silver halide has been formed.
Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 61(1986)-260241 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. Ser. No. 854,640) describes another image forming method in which the polymerizable compound within the area where a latent image of the silver halide has not been formed is polymerized. In this method, when the material is heated, the reducing agent functions as polymerization inhibitor within the area where a latent image of the silver halide has been formed, and the polymerizable compound in the other portion is polymerized.
Further, Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 61(1986)-73145 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,676 and European Patent Provisional Publication No. 0174634A2) describes an embodiment of the image-forming methods which comprises: imagewise exposing a light-sensitive material comprising a light-sensitive layer provided on a support wherein the light-sensitive layer contains silver halide, a reducing agent and a polymerizable compound; simultaneously or thereafter developing the light-sensitive material; and pressing the light-sensitive material on an image-receiving material to transfer the unpolymerized polymerizable compound to the image-receiving material.
The above-mentioned methods are favorably employable for forming a clear image on the image-receiving material. However, it has been sometimes noted that an unevenness of the density of the image occurs under certain transference conditions within the area onto which the polymerizable compound should be evenly transferred.